1. Loud =/= exciting, quiet =/= boring. It's okay if your audience doesn't cheer over mundane, regular things like a contestant mentioning his or her hometown/college, or what category they decide to play. Could you imagine how tedious
Jeopardy! would be if the audience clapped every time someone said "Potpourri for $400", "English Literature for $1200"?
2. Youtube is a great place to promote your show with clips or episodes, but let silly moments or bloopers just "happen". You don't have to rig the show* to manufacture or force a good/dramatic Youtube moment. Sooner or later, a funny will happen naturally.
2a. Phrasing the question to get a dirty answer is okay (see
Game, Match), but keep in mind mentioning the nether regions on TV isn't as shocking as it was 40 years ago (see
Feud, Family). In other words, don't try too hard.
3. I dunno if they still do it now, but Wayne's
LMAD would have contestants run over to their prizes, no matter what it was. Seeing someone run to their car made sense, and dates back to Monty's era(s). A college student running over to check out his or her patio furniture just looks awkward.
4. Clueless or loud contestants do not make for good TV.
5. Pregnant pauses when revealing an answer is not dramatic, and should never be done. Yes, that's a broad statement, and I'm standing by it. That trend is now used on HGTV reality shows and it makes me want to Elvis my TV.
6. Have fun, don't take yourself
too seriously and don't force the wackiness. That said, if you're offering a million dollars, you might want to take things a little more seriously and not offer a dog-and-pony show.
ETA: 7. When revamping an older show, at least watch a few episodes to see what worked in the original or prior versions. Don't just make changes with no true rhyme or reason.
To Mark's point about spontaneity, during one of the audience deals on LMaD, one of the audience members won $500 for whatever she brought in. She mentioned that she saw the item on the show's Twitter page. It's not as much fun when you tell people what to bring in.
*Rig as in "jury rig"...not the other rigging that brought about court hearings 60 years ago.